The Longest Day
by Sasha1992
Summary: Ginny talks to Harry after the death of a fellow Auror, and things between them reach boiling point. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE story


The Longest Day

Ginny Weasley was deathly tired after the day she'd just had. The exhaustion made her legs feel like lead weights as she walked through the bowels of the spookily quiet Ministry to her desk in the Auror department. It was long past the time when the other workers had left to go home, and if it wasn't for the situation then she would have relished the peace.

A torch lit the corridor to her right, and with a sigh, she changed course to see who was visiting the morgue at that time of night, a time when no respectable person would be visiting the dead, not that the dead minded much, she supposed.

She paused in the open doorway when she saw that it was Potter who was in there. He was stood looking down morosly at the still body of Jack Gallagher, their fellow Auror and also a member of her team. She closed her eyes for a moment as the image of Jack being struck down by the Killing Curse at the hands of a wannabe Death Eater earlier that day swam through her mind. She sighed again - the day had just got longer.

Quietly, she walked into the stark room and stood next to Harry Potter. He'd been Jack's partner that day and no doubt blamed himself.

'I though I sent you home.'

He shrugged and mumbled something under his breath.

'He was a good bloke,' she said, 'good Auror, great friend.'

'I know.'

'Then you know he'd not want you to do this.'

'Do what?'

'This - standing here all night.'

When he didn't answer, she reached out and gently pulled the crisp white sheet back over Jack's face; a lifeless imitation of who he'd been. 'Come on, let's go back to the office.'

Numbly, Potter followed her as she extinguished the light with a wave of her wand and made her way to the Auror department.

The office was in disarray with piles of files littering every desk, teetering stacks with mugshots of wanted criminals on the top. They'd been busy rounding up the remaining Death Eaters following Voldemort's downfall. She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat when her gaze passed Jack's desk.

Potter slumped into the chair at his own desk and rested his head in his hands. Deciding that the situation called for it, she walked over to Matt's desk a took a full bottle of Madam Rosmerta's finest Firewhiskey out of the drawer. She walked back to Harry's desk and touched his shoulder. 'Let's go back to my place...I've got Firewhiskey.'

Harry raised his head and blinked at her. 'Can we get drunk and try to forget this shit?'

'If you like.'

He nodded. 'Okay, sounds good to me.'

Ginny stepped across to the Floo and picked up the pot of Floo powder. 'Ready?'

They tumbled out of the Floo and into Ginny's flat a minute later. 'Hermione?' she called.

There was no reply.

'She must be staying at Ron's tonight, which is great because it means we don't have to listen to them shagging, or worse - arguing.'

Ginny nudged Harry towards the squashy settee in front of the fireplace before going into the kitchen for two glasses. She sat down next to him when she came back and poured a healthy amount of amber liquid in each. She handed a glass to Harry.

She studied him as he raised the glass to his lips. At twenty four he was a year her senior and had joined the Auror ranks six months ago after his defeat of Voldemort and had instantly been assigned to her team. In those six months she had never seen him look so broken.

Anguish and pain were evident upon his face, but it was his eyes that struck her - they looked as if they were dead too, as if a light had gone out in his emerald green orbs. They were usually so bright and full of life, so it was a shock for her to see them so dull.

'Don't blame yourself.'

'It was my fault,' he said croakily. 'Jack said it was likely an ambush and that we should wait for you and Matt to flush him out, but I insisted. I was cocky, and Jack paid the price for my stupidity.'

Ginny rubbed her eyes tiredly and took a sip of Firewhiskey, feeling it burn her throat on the way down. 'Don't blame yourself,' she repeated. 'It's a dangerous and unpredictable job, it could just as easily been one of us who died.'

'But it wasn't, it's yet another death that is my fault, I've got blood on my hands again,' he said. 'I can't do this anymore.'

'Pull yourself together, Potter,' she said sharply. 'I'd be more worried if death didn't affect you at all.'

He took a gulp of Firewhiskey and poured himself some more. 'What do you mean?'

'A very wise old Auror once told me that the minute death stops affecting you then you know you're in the wrong job...it means you're not blaze about death and will keep fighting for the right.' She blinked back tears as she remembered her good friend and mentor. 'I was in exactly the same position as you a few years ago,' she admitted.

He stared at her with genuine surprise. 'What?'

'You'll have heard of Alastor Moody?' She waited for him to nod before continuing, 'He was my mentor, he taught me everything I know, and I was responsible for his death.' She stared resolutely into the fire, staring blindly at the leaping flames as the tears came freely this time. 'I was stupid and reckless, and I thought I knew better than him. We were following Bellatrix Lestrange, you see, and she killed my mother.'

'I had no idea,' said Harry softly, putting his arm around her.

Ginny shrugged and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. 'I was fifteen...I don't talk about it much. Anyway, I was reckless and I wanted her blood...I ignored Moody's advice and he had to come after me and saved my arse. She killed him while she laughed at me,' she said bitterly. 'I hated myself so much after that, but I didn't let it consume me, Harry, and neither can you.'

'What did you do?' he asked.

'I became detirmined to become the best Auror I could be, and I made it my personal mission to take down that bitch.' She smiled wryly. 'And by Merlin, I did.' She paused for breath. 'Look, what I'm trying to say is that you can be sat, upset, angry, whatever, but you've got to learn to - not forget - but live with it...you're a damned good Auror, Harry, and it'd be a shame if you let it beat you and screw you up.'

After a few minutes consideration he nodded. 'I get what you're saying, Ginny, I really do, but it's hard.'

'Everything in life is hard,' she murmered, her gaze resting on the picture of her mother resting on the mantlepiece.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before Harry's voice roused her from her thoughts. 'So you think I'm a good Auror then?'

She nodded. 'I know you think I'm tough on you most of the time, but it's only because you are good, and have the potential to be the best,' she said sincerely, 'but don't go getting used to it, because I won't repeat myself anytime soon...can't have people think I'm going soft on you.'

Harry laughed. 'No, not at all.' He was silent for a minute. 'It must have been tough for you after your mum's death?' he asked.

'It was,' she admitted, finding him surprisingly easy to talk to, considering she always clammed up whenever the subject was mentioned, perhaps it was the Firewhiskey. 'My oldest brother, Bill, went on a week long bender after she was murdered, and came back married to a part Veela.'

'Really?'

She nodded. 'Yeah, really. I hated her for a long time.'

'Do you still?'

'Nah, she came good when Bill was attacked by a werewolf - not transformed,' she said in reply to his unasked question, '-and she stepped up to the mark and looked after him.'

'I guess it's just as well you brought me back here tonight or I might have ended up going out and getting drunk - who knows what I'd have ended up with,' he joked.

'Ah yes, the trouble with being the famous Harry Potter,' she said sarcastically.

'Hey, I don't ask for it, you know!' he protested.

'Yeah? Your reputation preceded you to the Auror department - and I should know,' she pointed out.

'None of it was true,' he admitted. 'Apart from that one night I've never gone home with a woman from a night out. It was Sirius who was like that, not me.' He fell silent at the memory of another loss.

She felt instantly bad and could have kicked herself. 'Sorry,' she said quietly, 'I shouldn't have said that...I do know that you're not like that.'

'It's fine,' he said, giving himself a mental shake.

'No, it's not, I shouldn't have used that night against you...we both agreed to forget about it...' She drained the last mouthful of Firewhiskey from her glass. The amber liquid burned her throat, but her body burned from the heat and intensity of Harry's gaze as he stared at her. She put her glass down on the coffee table with agonizing slowness, and Harry leaned forward to press his lips to hers.

Skin burned as the heat between them rose to boiling point. Hot kisses and tender touches, leaving a fiery trail in their wake.

Reluctantly, Ginny tore her mouth from Harry's. 'We need to stop.' Harry ignored her and kissed his way down her neck. Unbiddedn, she arched her neck to give him better access before common sense kicked in again. 'Harry,' she saud firmly, 'you'll only end up regretting it if we do this.'

Harry straightened and looked at her. 'I won't.'

'Yes, you will.'

'I won't,' he repeated, brushing her hair back from her face. 'I've wanted you for the last six months.'

'I-'

He put a finger to her lips. 'Don't, I promise it's not the Firewhiskey talking.'

Silently, Ginny rose and took his hand. Once in her bedroom she crushed her lips to his. Clothes fell as they made their way to her bed.

At the last moment, Harry looked into her eyes. 'I hope you won't regret it either?'

Ginny gave him her answer without the need for words. How could she regret it, she thought, as she bagan to lose her mind with ectasy, when she'd been in denial these last six months. She'd loved Harry Potter since she was a little girl and since meeting the man she'd only fallen deeper and harder. Whatever the morning brought, she knew this in her heart.


End file.
